Luke Ridnour is the lone Timberwolf to play in all 45 games. Otherwise, they’ve lost more than 180 player games to injury and/or illness. As such, their No. 1 rotation of center Nikola Pevokic, forwards Kevin Love and Andrei Kirilenko and guards Ricky Rubio and Alexey Shved has yet to start a single game together this season.

The Timberwolves had been making do until early January, when a 22-point loss at Oklahoma City kicked off a swoon in which they’ve lost 12 of 14. It goes without saying that a visit from the NBA’s best team – at least record-wise – is the last thing they need.

They’ve at least got coach Rick Adelman back after a lengthy leave of absence to care for his ailing wife. Star point guard Ricky Rubio also showed signs of coming around in Monday’s loss to Portland, registering 15 points and 14 assists in the best of game since his return from last year’s ACL tear.

* Only LeBron James (13.4) and Brook Lopez (12.5) average more points in the paint per game than Pekovic’s 12.1. Conversely, the third-year center from Montenegro has made a grand total of 12 shots from outside the paint all season. But despite his inside-oriented style, Pekovic averages just 4.4 free throws per outing.

* While the Spurs finish games off better than any other team but the Knicks (average second-half scoring margin: plus 3.9 points), the Timberwolves sit at the opposite end of the spectrum. Their minus 3.5 second-half margin is 29th, negating their plus 1.7 first-half margin that’s tied for sixth-best.

* The Timberwolves rank dead last in 3-point shooting at 29.9 percent, and 28th in 3-pointers made with roughly five per game. That’s a critical weakness against a Spurs team that ranks sixth and fourth in those categories, respectively. The Timberwolves aren’t that great at defending the 3, either (36.1 percent, 19th).